Rain Soaked Slave
by Shinji Shazaki
Summary: Slash warning again.  "Wars don't make love go away."  Read, review, and I hope you enjoy.
1. Innocently Clutch

Rain-Soaked Slave

C1: Innocently Clutch

[Disclaimer: "Invader Zim" belongs to Jhonen V.  I own whatever I write/create.  Don't steal and don't sue.  And don't send a wall-monster to eat me.  Please.]

Zim awoke one morning to the sound of pouring rain.  He cursed under his breath as he prepared for school.  He didn't want to have to cover himself in paste, but it was the only option.  Of course, he could always just stay home and devise plots to beat Dib and take over the world, but that never occurred to the invader.

"Bye master!" GIR squealed as Zim marched out the front door.  Once the door closed, he started to roll about on the floor, screaming in glee.

Zim was muttering curses angrily as he walked.  The bus had not gone by when it was supposed to, so he was forced to walk to school.  Oh, how he hated the human-stink-bags.

"Where are you going?"  The invader jumped to his left instinctively on hearing the voice.  Dib stood at a mailbox, umbrella opened over his head.

"To school, worthless human." Zim replied simply.  He turned on heel and began to walk again.

"It's Saturday." Dib remarked to himself.  After a moment of thought, he gasped.  "Zim must be plotting some evil scheme that involves the school!  I have to stop him!"  He ran back inside to grab his camera and a few essential items and then was off.

----------

For her part, Gaz was waiting patiently.  Certainly, the occasional snarl or vein on her forehead showed that her little patience was being tried, but she wasn't punching Dib yet.

Her eye opened when she heard the door open.  She had sent Dib to retrieve the mail only a minute ago, and now he was rushing back with the goods.  She had mailed away for a sequel to "Vampire Piggy Hunter" two weeks ago, and it was due today.

Instead of setting the mail on coffee table before her, Dib dropped the still-open umbrella and ran to his room.  He returned a few minutes later carrying his Zim-hunting equipment.  He made no remark as he ran out the front door again.

"I'm going to hurt him so badly when he gets back." Gaz growled as she stood from the couch.  She picked up the umbrella and exited the house, going to get the mail herself.

When Gaz walked up the drive, she spotted someone standing out in the middle of the deluge of water by her mailbox.  However, being Gaz, she wasn't worried in the slightest.  She just walked to the mailbox and opened it.

"Looking for something?" the person said.  Gaz snarled.  Whoever the person was, they had taken her mail and her game.  They would pay.

"Just give me my game, and I won't hurt you." she turned about to face the offender.  Whoever it was, they seemed to have a fondness for the color black.  The only thing that wasn't black was their skin, which was pale.  Their hair and eyes were black, and all their clothes were black.

"Here you are." the person replied.  They handed Gaz the unharmed game.  From the tone of voice and shape of hand, Gaz surmised this person was a woman.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" Gaz pocketed her precious game, "It's pouring rain."

"I know." the woman smiled, "I like the rain."

"Huh." Gaz snorted, "For once, someone who doesn't scream madly when they talk."

"Oh?" the woman's smile grew larger, "And who might you be talking about?"  Gaz turned and started walking back to her house, the woman following closely.

"My brother Dib, and his stupid 'alien,' Zim." Gaz snarled as she said the accursed names, "I hate them both so much."

"Alien." the woman chuckled, "It's been a while since I've heard that word."

"Then you must not watch a lot of TV." Gaz shut the door once the woman was inside.

"I don't enjoy trivialities." the woman said, "I much rather enjoy things with a purpose."

"I know." Gaz smirked, "I mean, ghost and alien hunting?  Sheesh.  Dib is wasting his life."

"And what do you consider to have purpose?" the woman asked.

"Getting rid of anything that gets in my way." Gaz replied simply, "Hey, what's your name?"

"Me?" the woman chuckled, "I'm Ian.  And you?"

"Gaz.  Nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

_—to be continued—_


	2. Old Friends

Rain-Soaked Slave

C2: Old Friends

[Disclaimer: Jhonen V. owns "Invader Zim".  I own whatever I write/create.  Don't steal and don't sue.]

Dib walked home with his large head held high.  Zim hadn't been plotting anything, thinking it was a school day, but there was still victory to be had.  After a short wrestling-match, Dib had managed to tear off some of the paste covering Zim.  The alien ran off screaming in agony as the water scorched him.

"Man, Gaz, today was a great day." he said as he walked through the front door.  His eyes bugged out when he saw the black-haired woman sitting next to his sister on the couch.

"Gaz, who the hell is that?" he snapped, backing up against the door.

"Shh!" Gaz hissed, "This is the best part!"  The movie on the TV screen was one of Gaz's favorites, and Dib knew he had to shut up.  However, his instincts told him to keep asking.

"Gaz, who is that?" he said again, "What's she doing here?"

"Shut _up,_ Dib!" Gaz chucked the nearest hard object at her brother.  It collided with his head and knocked him over and out.

----------

When he came to, Dib found that he was in his bed.  He rolled out immediately and fell to the floor.  He rushed from his room and down into the living room.  The woman wasn't there.  Gaz wasn't there either.  Everything was clean and organized.

Dib bolted to Gaz's room and peeked inside.  Gaz was in her bed, fast asleep.  He closed the door and sat down against the wall.  He couldn't figure it out at all.  The woman seemed to have vanished into thin air.  And he still didn't know why she had been there.

"Man, my head hurts." he sighed as he rubbed his abused cranium.

----------

Beep, beep, beep, beep… 

"Incoming message from…" the communications master muttered, "It's Earth.  It's Zim."

"Ah, man." Purple groaned as he sucked his ice-sucky, "Just when the show was getting good too."

"Let's just ignore it." Red replied, "Ignore the call!"

"Ignoring." the communications master said.  There was a pause before the screen flickered and everything turned to static.

"Hey!" Purple shouted, "Our show!"

"The jamming signal is being hacked and overridden!" the communications master blinked in shock and terror, "We can't stop it!"

The screen faded to black and showed something that made Red and Purple scream.  They leapt over the couch they were sitting on, ice-sucky flying everywhere.  Purple was babbling incoherently, pointing one of his fingers at the screen beyond the couch.

Red held a finger to his mouth, thinking hard about what to do.  After a moment, he slapped Purple to get him to shut up and stood up.

"H-hello, m-ma'am." he said nervously, "S-sorry to ignore you.  We thought you were someone else."

"I take I then you have an invader assigned to this planet."

"Uh, kind of." Purple managed to pull himself together enough to speak, "We never really had any plans about that planet.  It's just way out there and there doesn't seem to be any reason to invade it."

"Who is the invader?"

"Well, uh, you see…" Red and Purple said in unison.

"Who is it?"

"Zim."  They stood nervously for what might come.  There was silence on the other end of the line.  Zim was turning out to be the most famous invader of all time.  Purple and Red were worried that the person they were talking to was going to be angry.

"So that was who was screaming today.  Listen.  Withdraw the invader and his SIR that are on the planet of giant flesh-eating rats, pending they are still alive.  I want the armada here."

"Why?" Red dared to ask.

"This planet is something I want.  I also want you to withdraw this 'Zim' invader from Earth.  He sounds too foolish to accomplish anything."

"But if we call Zim back, wouldn't that just leave the earth-people to cower before you?" Purple scratched his head in question.

"There is a human here that bothers me.  He has the ideas that could…hinder me."

"You mean he's got something that could stop you?" Purple asked before Red could shut him up.

"_Nothing_ stops me.  He could hinder my progress in certain ways.  Now do as I say.  Or do you want me to tell my people you disobeyed me?"

"AAGH!  NO!  ANYTHING BUT THAT!"

"Good.  Then we understand each other.  How soon will the armada arrive?"

"Six years at the least, sir." one of the navigators said to Red and Purple.

"Six years." Red shrugged nervously, "We just aren't that close to Earth."

"Then I'll see you in six years."  The screen went to static and back to the show Red and Purple had been watching.  Red and Purple glanced at each other before screaming the same thing.

"GET US TO EARTH!"  The ship lurched forwards and headed towards the planet.  Red and Purple sank down on the couch, shaking slightly.

"We haven't heard from her for ten years." Purple moaned, "Why now?"

"We don't get to question Ian." Red sighed, "We just have to do what she says.

_—to be continued—_


	3. Stranger

Rain-Soaked Slave

C3: Stranger

[Disclaimer: Jhonen V. owns "Invader Zim."  I own whatever I write/create.  Don't steal and don't sue.]

Dib skulked over his steering wheel.  He was having a very bad day.  Zim had been fooling about in the classes in the university, purposely disrupting Dib's studies to bother him.  There were quite a few explosions in the halls outside the Paranormal Photography rooms and Zim and his 'dog' had caused them all.

Secondly, his forehead still was greasy from the morning.  Still living at home, he was still the equivalent of annoying big brother to Gaz, who was in her senior year at the high school.  She hadn't wanted to hear his complaints about Zim, and had silenced him by throwing her buttered toast at him.  It had smacked him right in the forehead and silenced him well.

Finally, it was the fact that Gaz had gotten a ride from the one person Dib might hate more than Zim.  Gaz had casually ignored the bus when it drove by towards the bus stop.  When Dib had asked about it, she had replied as thus:

"Ian's giving me a ride."

Dib hated Ian so very much.  His 'paranormal sense' always tingled when she was around, and when Ian was around, he always managed to get hit in the head.

He heaved a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose lightly, pushing his glasses a bit higher on his face.  He was waiting in his car…but he would call it a jalopy.  It was barely good for getting around the town, but it was all he could afford.  He had tried to ask his father for money, but Professor Membrane was unable to talk to him.  The tuition was the last bit of money he had gotten.

Forgetting about his financial woes, Dib glanced to his right.  The high school was due out any moment, and he was waiting for Gaz.  The bell toned and students began to file out.  Dib started to open the car door when a sleek black car sped up the road coming towards him.  Tires shrieking, it did a one-eighty turn and parked perfectly behind Dib.

Gaz appeared from the doorway of the school by kicking someone out of her way and smiled when she saw the black car.  She hopped off the stairs and onto the person she had just kicked before darting off to the black car.  The door slammed, and the car peeled out.  Dib was growling by now.

The black car was Ian's.

----------

"Can you teach me how to park like that?"

"Park like what?"

"Whenever you parallel park, you do that weird spin."

"Oh, that."

Gaz just shook her head and smirked.  The woman sitting across from her was fascinating.

"How long has it been since we met?" Ian asked.

"Six years."

"How many times have we come to this Chinese restaurant?"

"Once a week for six years."

"Fascinating."  They were silent with each other and just ate their food for a good long while.  Gaz noticed her friend was strangely preoccupied and seemed distant.  Outside, thunder crashed across the sky and rain began to pour down on the city.  Ian lay down her chopsticks and laced her fingers, resting her chin on them to gaze out to the window.  She let out a sigh after another few minutes.

"You do know that Zim is an alien, right?" she glanced sideways to Gaz.

"Yeah." Gaz replied, "I'm one of the few people in this stupid place who does.  He's got green skin for god's sake.  Why can't people see that?"

"People seem to not see a lot of things."  The cryptic quote was followed by silence from Ian.  Gaz didn't like it.  Ian usually seemed lighthearted, even when there was rain coming down in buckets like it was.  The worry she felt was disconcerting.  She wanted to fix it.

"What's wrong?" she asked, setting down her glass of clear soda.

"This world seems inhabited by fools and psychotics." Ian kept her gaze on the rain, "You are the only exception I've seen.  It bothers me."

"Why?" Gaz inquired, "There's nowhere else to go, and I don't want to go where Zim came from."

"Would you like a planet that rains almost all the time?  Would you like a planet where there are fewer people and they were intelligent?"

"I'd love a place like that." Gaz admitted, twirling her straw in the glass to clink the ice, "It sounds too good to be true."

"The planet Ion is about ten million light years away from Earth.  It sits alone in its own system with its own sun, stars, and moons.  It rains almost all the time, and everyone there has a high IQ."

"You're kidding right?" Gaz raised a brow, finally used to having her eyes open, "You sound like some astrophysicist from one of Dib's dumb classes."

"Astrophysics?  No, I don't like that mathematical crap.  I just prefer planet-hopping.  Or conquering, as it were."

"Ian, what the hell are you talking about?" Gaz shook her head, "You aren't making any sense."

"If I were to tell you that I was an alien, what would you say?"

"I…" Gaz was stumped at the sudden, random question, "I don't know.  You're my friend.  My only one, really.  You don't seem weird.  I don't know if it'd make any difference."

"That's reassuring.  I am."

"…you aren't kidding?"

"No.  I don't like to kid.  Although, I did like you as a kid.  Still like you in fact."

"What does that mean?"

"What does it mean to you?"

Gaz had to close her eyes and rest her forehead on her hands.  Something was making her eyes water, and it wasn't the sweet and sour sauce.

"Perhaps we should adjourn this meeting to elsewhere." Ian raised her head from her hands, "Does my place sound good?"

----------

"Here.  Towels are actually very useful in life."

Gaz rubbed at her rain-soaked hair with the fluffy green towel and lay it around her shoulders.  Ian sat next to her on the couch they rested on.  Gaz's eyes were starting to water again.  She started shaking her head miserably.

"Now you're going to tell me I'm just a stupid little pawn in some greater scheme to blow up the earth with Zim and leave laughing as we all die." she muttered.

"I never said that." Ian replied easily, "And I don't have any scheme to blow up the earth.  Why Zim is still here, I don't know."

"Why are you here?" Gaz shouted, "Why aren't you off killing everyone to conquer this hellhole of a planet?"

"Because I ordered backup and it had a six-year delay." Ian again replied easily.

"God dammit!" Gaz stomped her foot, "That isn't my point!"

"What is?"

_CRACK!_

Ian's head jerked to the side when Gaz's fist hit it.  The human had fallen into her protective stance, eyes closed in a vicious glare and a frown firmly set on her face.

"Moody, aren't we?" Ian sounded amused.

_CRACK!_

Gaz didn't show any twinge at the second hit.  She was very pissed off by then, and she wanted direct answers, not dodgy, flighty junk.

"Why are you here?" she said in her 'tone', the one that made ravenous dogs cower, "Why are you hanging around me?"

"Because you're the reason I decided to take this little planet."  Gaz paused but didn't open her eyes.  Ian had lifted one leg up to rest on the other's knee whilst rubbing at her cheek.

"This flying ball of filth was not even enough to be mentioned on the Irken maps.  The Irken army is what Zim is a semi-part of, but he had been banished earlier.  He's here because the army didn't want him anywhere near important planets.  I came here because it was raining, and I like the rain very much.

"In any case, I thought I should just overlook this place because there was no reason to conquer it, and there was no invader evidence.  Then I met you.  You have the attitude of an Ionic and the intelligence to see how very stupid your race is.  I like you because of that."

"But what does that mean?"

"What does it mean to you?  That's what it means."

"You're being more obscure than Dib on a dumb day."

"What does it mean to you?"

Gaz let out a sigh and leaned back against the couch.  She was trying to think about it, but something was clouding her head.  She hated when that happened.  It usually meant that there was some emotion trying to twist her judgment.  Not good.

"That fuzzy feeling in your head is probably your heart trying to tell your head something.  Every person has to decipher what their heart says before they know what they're thinking of.  It'd be a good idea to try thinking that way."

Gaz gently rapped her knuckles against her forehead and sighed, the fog slowly starting to go away.  Eventually, it lifted totally and she found herself understanding a lot of things.  She turned to Ian, her eyes open again.  Ian was lost in her own thoughts, waiting for Gaz to come to a conclusion.

Gaz simply grabbed Ian's shoulders, turned her to face her, and then kissed her.

----------

"Why are you getting up?"

"I heard someone knocking at the door."

"You've got to be kidding.  I can barely hear myself over the rain."

"I'm an alien, remember?  I'll be back in a second."

Gaz settled herself back down on the pillows and sheets.  She let a smile touch her face for the first time in a very long while.  The strangeness of the past few hours had just kind of wandered off and died a lonely death.  Gaz, however, was feeling very much at peace and—happy.  She was really happy for once.

Just because she felt like it, Gaz pulled on her black shirt and grabbed a pair of shorts that Ian had dropped on the ground in her haste to get dressed to answer the door.  Gaz strode down the stairs and looked to the front door.  She stopped.

Dib was at the door, dripping wet, and holding a gun to Ian's head.

"What?" she murmured, her eyes widening.

Ian, who had been standing still up until that point, turned around in shock.

"Gaz!" she said, "Don't—"

**_BANG!_**

The words were cut short as Ian jerked and fell silently to the floor.  Dib's eyes burned and the barrel of the gun smoked.  Gaz's eyes widened and her mouth opened.

And all there was…was the sound of rain.

_—to be continued—_


	4. Shots

Rain-Soaked Slave

C4: Shots

[Disclaimer: Jhonen V. owns "Invader Zim."  I own whatever I write/create.  Don't steal and don't sue.]

Gaz stood on the stairs, frozen for a long few moments.  She felt deadened, and then started down the stairs.  Dib made no move, his eyes on Ian.  Ian, however, was not moving.  Her eyes were closed, her body semi-curled in a fetal position.  Gaz knelt down slowly and reached to touch Ian's shoulder.  Her hand shook violently and she found she couldn't touch Ian.

"Dib?" she whispered, "Why did you do that?"

"Get away from her, Gaz." Dib replied.

"Why did you do that?" Gaz asked again.

"Because I had to."

"Dammit, Dib!" Gaz stood and shouted, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"She isn't normal, Gaz!"

"You think I care?  She was more normal than you ever were!"

"Get away from her!"

"NO!"

**_BANG!_**

Gaz was stunned again.  What little time was left for her was slowing down.  She stared at the bullet as it drew closer to her.  That didn't seem good.

Gaz waited patiently for the bullet to hit her in the chest.  She felt something pull her backwards and a hand reached out in front of her chest.  The bullet stopped with a 'THUNK' in the hand.

"Well you smarmy little jerk." a voice said, "First you shoot me right in the head, and then you try to shoot your sister?"  Gaz turned her head to look up and found Ian.

"Ian?" Gaz was relieved, confused, and happy all at that moment, "But, how?"  Ian grinned and reached to the back of her head.  After a second, she extended her hand for both the humans to see.  There, in her hand, were the two bullets that Dib had shot.  Both were still in the traditional bullet shape, and completely clean.  There was no blood, and Ian had no wounds.

"Come now, Dib." Ian chuckled, "I would have expected more than a simple pistol from you."

"I didn't have the money for anything else." Dib spat viciously, "But it has a good stun factor."  He fired again, hitting Ian smack in the forehead.  Her head fell back, but snapped to attention almost immediately.  The bullet was frozen against her skin, and it floated away to land in her hand along with the others.

"I wouldn't say so." Ian laughed aloud, "What a piece of junk!"  She flicked the bullets back, one by one, and just as fast as they would fire from a gun.  They shattered the handgun unto the point where Dib was holding the handle.

"Want to try and stab me with that thing?"  Dib threw the handle to the floor, cursing under his breath.  Ian grinned wickedly, scooping Gaz up in her arms.

"Let go of my sister." Dib hissed.  Ian looked to the girl in her arms, and Gaz was unresponsive save one motion: she gripped Ian's shirt with all her might.

"She doesn't want to go with you.  I think she wants to stay with me."

"Let her go!" Dib shouted.  He ran forwards, his fists ready to punch.  Ian looked up from Gaz to glare at Dib.  He was frozen, pushed back, and then thrown against the door.  The hinges broke cleanly off and Dib landed on the muddy ground with a heavy thud.

"I hope to see you again soon, Dib." Ian walked outside and grinned at the boy, "Until we do meet again, I advise you look to the skies."  She walked calmly to her car and drove away.  Dib just screamed in rage.

----------

"Master, there's an angry-looking guy standing on the porch."

"What?  Why haven't the gnomes gotten rid of him?"

"I think he smashed 'em.  I think it's Dib."

"Oh, great." Zim stood from the kitchen table and walked to the door.  He had somehow managed to grow to five and a half feet in his time on Earth, and the need for a box to look out the peephole was gone.  It was indeed Dib who stood on his porch, and he was glaring angrily at the door.  He looked soaked and muddy.

"What do you want, meat-bag?" Zim made sure that the door was chained before he opened it slightly to speak.

"Is there any reason for something to be up in the sky right now?" Dib asked in a low voice.

"Eh?"

"Is there any kind of ship coming towards Earth?" Dib asked again, "Any kind, any race coming here?  I have to know."

"And why should I tell you?" Zim shot back.

"Because this may be something that could destroy both of us."

Zim was about to reply, but then he thought.  Dib had no camera on him—no equipment to try and prove Zim was an alien.  He reconsidered.

"What is this about?" Zim asked.

"There's another alien on this planet."

"Is Tak back?" Zim was spooked.

"No.  A woman named Ian.  Bullets can't stop her.  I don't know where the hell she's from, but she's brainwashing my sister.  She told me she's an alien, but I don't know what she is."

"Ian?" Zim looked down, trying to call up a memory, "That name sounds familiar.  GIR!  Go check the computer for a person named Ian that doesn't live on Earth!"  Zim closed the door for but a moment and opened it fully, letting Dib in.

"If you want my help, don't get any water on me." Zim started walking off, heading towards a wall, "And don't start insulting me."

"As long as you don't insult me." Dib replied, crossing his arms, "A semi-truce, OK?"

"Fine." Zim replied, "Now come on."  They stood silently in the elevator down to Zim's computer banks where GIR had gone just a few minutes before.  When they arrived at the right level with a ding, they found GIR lying on the floor, shaking.

"GIR?" Zim raised a brow, "What did you find?"  GIR pointed a metallic finger at the screen before resigning himself to his shaking.  Zim read the screen as Dib did, but Zim's eyes grew wide in terror.  His knees shook and he fell to the floor.  He stared down at the floor, his contacts falling out from his lack of blinks.

"Oh, crap." Zim muttered, "Oh, geez.  We're all dead."

"What?" Dib questioned, "What is it?"

"She's the Ionic Master…"

_—to be continued—_


	5. Vast Expanse

Rain-Soaked Slave

C5: Vast Expanse

[Disclaimer: Jhonen V. owns "Invader Zim."  I own whatever I write/create.  Don't steal and don't sue.]

Gaz woke up in the same bed she had lain in the night before.  She rubbed at the silky sheets and looked at the red pillow beneath her head.  She closed her eyes again and tried to recall the events that led to her being back in the bed.

She felt scared, frightened for some reason.  Gaz remembered that Dib had tried to shoot her the night before.  He had also shot Ian—but Ian was fine.  Ian was alive.

Gaz sat up and looked around.  The room was mostly a dark blue, but there was one wall with a window.  It took up the entire expanse of the wall, and there was a black chair sitting before it.  A black-haired head was above the back of the chair, and Gaz recognized it.

"It's good to see that you're awake." Ian's voice came from the chair, "You slept the entire day."

"Where are we?" Gaz stood shakily from the bed, "This doesn't look like your house."

"We're in a ship, hovering exactly one thousand miles from the atmosphere of Earth.  If you come look out this window, you'll see the little blue ball of your home planet."  Gaz walked to the chair's side and looked out to see stars and a blue sphere.  Long fingers wrapped around her waist and pulled her down into the chair.

Gaz didn't struggle, and instead let herself fall into Ian's lap.  She leaned her head against Ian's shoulder and sighed.  She was just very tired, and she felt safe again.

"Ian, are you OK?" she had to ask.

"Fine." Ian smiled, "I'm more concerned about you."

"But you were shot three times." Gaz protested weakly, "Why worry about me?"

"Heh." Ian shook her head, "I can take a full blast from a…well, quite a few types of energy cannons.  I wouldn't worry about me.  You, however, are not conditioned to space yet.  Your brother, on the other hand, has his head so much in space that he needs no conditioning."

"Is that why I'm tired?" Gaz murmured.

"You might feel a little ill as well.  Humans aren't the most hardy of species."

"Can I go back to sleep now?"

"I insist."  Gaz was asleep in moments.  Ian stood, cradling the human in her arms.  She lay the sleeping girl on the bed and watched her sleep for a while.  There was something innocent about a person when they slept.  Ian stroked Gaz's hair with a smile before walking away and out of the room.

----------

"Come _on_, Dad.  _Come on!_"  Dib punched the code his father had given him before he went off to college into the keypad.  The keypad—and the back door—had been installed when Gaz had gotten into high school with Dib.  Professor Membrane had wanted to make sure Gaz had a reliable way to talk to him.  Dib was given the code if Gaz couldn't get to the lab.

So far, the code hadn't been working.  Zim stood by Dib patiently.  His costume was in place once more, and he was remembering to blink.

"Are you sure you're poking the right things?" the alien asked, "You keep mashing all the buttons.  Because you're punching the numbers all at once.  With your fist."  Dib calmed himself down by jumping angrily and screaming silently.  Then he pressed the right code and ran into the building, Zim following close behind.

"Where exactly is your parental unit?" Zim questioned.

"He's doing his show right now." Dib replied, "But he has commercial breaks.  We can talk to him then."  They followed the cheers and screams that came from the recording room and were soon at the backstage.

"—and we'll be back right after these commercials!"

The timing was perfect.  Membrane was walking backstage when Dib and Zim skid to a halt.

"Dad!" Dib stopped right in front of his father, "Dad!  There's an alien, and she's trying to take over the Earth!"

"Son, when are you going to get aliens out of your head and follow true science?" Membrane just shook his head.

"Zim!" Dib panted, "Zim, tell him!"  Zim was just snickering, his hand over his mouth.  "Dammit Zim!"

"Dib, I don't have time for this." Membrane shook his head again, "My show will be back on any minute.  There are no aliens.  We are the only sentient life in the universe."

"That's not all true." Zim finally got his giggle-fit under control, "_I_ am an alien.  A mighty invader from the planet Irk!  I am here to take this planet for my Tallest!"

"_Right_." Membrane was rolling his eyes behind his goggles, "Dib, my show's coming on soon.  Don't you have classes to go to?"

"It's Saturday, Dad." Dib frowned, "And I'm not kidding!  Zim isn't the alien that's taking over the world!  Ian is!  That freak Gaz hangs out with!"

"I have to go." Membrane turned on heel and walked out on stage again.  He was about to say something when he paused.  The sound of static filled the studio, and everyone was transfixed on the screens behind Professor Membrane.

"Hello.  I'll skip assumptions and say you are wondering why I'm on your screens."  Dib and Zim looked at each other and ran onto the stage.  The screens all showed Ian.

"Oh, so good to see everyone is paying attention." Ian grinned wickedly, "My name is Ian.  I am not of this world.  However, I'm going to take over this planet, because I feel like it.  If you don't believe me, look at this."  The screen flashed to static and then showed red ships with a certain insignia on them.

"The armada!" Zim cackled, "The armada is come!"  Dib just gave him a strange look.  Among the red ships were many smaller black ships that weaved in and out of the red ships.  The screens flickered back to Ian.

"Say hello to the Irken armada.  Not to mention a few of my people, from the planet Ion.  Your planet is doomed.  You may wonder why I'm telling you this.  First of all—Zim and Dib.  Zim, you've been excommunicated from the Irken army.  You have been for six years.  Dib—go ahead and try.  I dare you.  Try and kill me.

"Next—Professor Membrane.  You are revered as this planet's greatest scientist.  You have doubted your son all his life—and now you learn he's right.  You are wrong.  Think about that, and then try to keep working.

"To the rest of you humans I say this: If you defy me, you will die.  Obey, and you live.  Get ready for a war.  My first attack will happen in thirty days.  Be ready, or you will all die with no fight.  Goodbye."

The screens flickered and died.  Professor Membrane was on his knees on the stage, and everyone was silent.

Dib and Zim just looked at each other.

_—to be continued—_


	6. Resolve

Rain-Soaked Slave

C6: Resolve

[Disclaimer: Jhonen V. owns "Invader Zim."  I own whatever I write/create.  Don't steal and don't sue.]

Gaz woke up again in the same bed.  She felt rested and well again, and stood from the bed.  The room was empty, so Gaz walked out the door.  She walked slowly down the hallway until she came to another door.  It opened automatically and she found herself looking at about five people.  They were standing by computers imbedded in the walls, watching the lights flickering and knowing what they meant.

"Ah, Lady Gaz." one of the people looked up from the computers, "Are you looking for Master Ian?"

"Uh, who are you?" Gaz blinked a bit.

"My name is Grey." the person, a woman, bowed, "I can take you to Master Ian, if you want to see her."  Gaz nodded and Grey began to walk off, the human following closely.

As they walked, Gaz noticed that there were few people in this place, this ship they were in.  After a while, she just let it be and followed the brown, spiky-haired woman in front of her.  They went through one last door of they many they had walked through, and Gaz found herself standing over space.  All there was between her and space was a catwalk.

In reality, there was actually a thick pane of something between the catwalk and nothingness, but Gaz didn't know.  She looked around the huge circular room and saw the catwalk stretched all the way round, and more people and computers stood on them.  Grey beckoned Gaz to follow her a while longer, and led her up the catwalk to the center of the room where a chair sat alone in the crossing of all the catwalks.

"Master Ian, Lady Gaz is awake." Grey said to whoever was sitting in the chair.  A black head snapped up and the person stood from the chair swiftly.  Gaz smiled and jumped happily into Ian's awaiting arms.

----------

"Dad, get up." Dib pulled at his father's arm, "We've got to get ready."  Despite the pulling, Professor Membrane didn't move.  He seemed distant, and he didn't want to move.

"Dad, are you listening to me?" Dib snapped, "We've got to go!"

"I should have been listening to you forever." Membrane sighed, "I should have listened to you whenever you tried to tell me something."

"Dad, we don't have time for this!" Dib growled, "Gaz is in danger, and we've got to get rid of these aliens!"  When his father made no move, Dib decided to just drag him out of the lab to home.  But he needed help.

"Zim!" he called, "Zim, get over here and help me!"  But Zim was on his knees as well, his eyes wide and blinking.

"I…I'm not in the army?" the Irken whispered, "I…I don't believe it."

"Zim!" Dib shouted angrily, "Stop acting so weird!  Help me get my dad out of here!"  When Zim made no response, Dib lost his little patience.  He stomped over to the alien and kicked him smack in the butt.  Zim fell on his face and then leapt to his feet.

"What was that for?" Zim shouted.

"Listen to me!" Dib snarled, "We need to get my dad out of here so we can get ready for Ian's attack!"

"There is no point!" Zim howled, "Ian can't be beaten!  She's the most evolved being in the universe!"

"She's nothing!" Dib yelled in return, "She's just a stupid jerk!"

"Ian is the most evolved, the most deadly, and the most feared being in the universe!" Zim grabbed Dib's collar and shook him, "No one can beat her!  She can't die!  She'll kill all of us if we don't obey!"

"What are you talking about?" Dib asked once he straightened his glasses.  Zim let his hands fall to his sides and sank to the ground.

"Ian is the master of a race from the planet Ion." he began to explain with a long sigh, "The Ionics are highly evolved, and come from a planet that almost always has rain.  The Irken empire has never been able to conquer Ion because of the rain, and because we had so many casualties just from fighting Ian.  When she cares for someone or something, she'll protect it with her own body and power until her opponent is too weak to go on.

"About twenty thousand years ago, a truce was made with the Tallest before Red and Purple.  The Irken empire has been beneath Ian for all that time, but until now, we've never really had any orders from her.  She doesn't care for conquering, and just left most of it to us.  She has been planet-hopping for these twenty thousand years, and it seems she likes the look of Earth enough to take it herself, along with the armada."

"But I still don't get it." Dib said, "If Ian has that much power—which you still haven't explained to me—why would she bring your armada here?"

"I don't know why." Zim shook his head a little bit, "I think it has something to do why your father.  He's the smartest person on this waste-ball of a planet, and I think maybe Ian's worried about him.  A little worried, anyway."

"Now what do you mean when you start talking about all of this 'power' stuff?"

"As I said, the Ionics are highly evolved.  They've got inordinate amounts of energy in their bodies—like a human's natural pacemaker overclocked.  They can focus that energy in any way they want, and they've gone beyond the need for certain things.  Ian herself is the most evolved.  She can go without food and water for years, and she doesn't need air.  Her energy levels are higher than a laser cannon capable of destroying a planet and they can go up if she wants them to.  Everyone who knows who Ian is is scared to death of her.  She doesn't need to use her powers to keep anything in line.

"If you're trying to think of some way to destroy her or beat her, there isn't.  Ionic skin is close to indestructible, and everything under that skin is even tougher.  The Ionics are just too strong.  Unless we just go peacefully, there's no telling how many of you humans will die."

"So you aren't even going to try and get back in the armada?" Dib questioned, "Why not?"

"I don't want to disobey Ian." Zim heaved another sigh, "And besides, there seems to be little else to do but submit."

"But we can fight!" Dib snapped, "We have my dad on our side!  He can figure out a way to beat Ian and your armada!"

"How dare you say such things about the armada!" Zim leapt to his feet in defense, "It—betrayed me…"  He lowered his head and clenched his hands to fists.  His shoulders began to shake until he finally whirled around and slammed both fists down against the nearest table.

"Damn them!" he cried in rage, "Damn them all!  They played me for a fool!  A patsy!  They never cared if I conquered this stupid planet!  They just wanted me the hell out of their way!  Damn it all!"  He began to pound on the table with all his might, screaming angrily.

"Zim, calm down!" Dib rushed over and pulled the Irken away from the table, "Who cares if they don't?  It doesn't matter to them, but it matters to us now!  We have to save our planet now!  It doesn't mean a lot to them, but it'd mean a lot to everyone if we could just save this world!  It'd mean a lot to me if you'd help me."  Zim looked down to where Dib's hands were.  They were clasped tightly around Zim's black-gloved hands, and Dib had a strange little hopeful look in his eyes.

"What do you mean it would mean a lot to you?" he asked, wondering.

"I don't really know." Dib just shrugged a smidgen, "I just—"

**_BANG!_**

****

It was at that moment that the backstage door burst open and GIR flew in.  He bumped into his master and skid on the floor until he stopped beneath the table Zim had been pounding on earlier.  The fact that GIR had bumped Zim wasn't interesting.

The fact that the bump had made Zim fall to kiss Dib on the lips was interesting.  They stood there in total shock for about five seconds.  The ten seconds after that was for savoring it.

"Was that what you meant?" Zim blinked once they parted.

"Yeah." Dib smiled, "I guess it was."  Zim paused, then smiled as well.

"Then let us work to save this world."

"Let's."

_—to be continued—_


	7. Dangerous Ways

Rain-Soaked Slave

C7: Dangerous Ways

[Disclaimer: Jhonen V. owns "Invader Zim."  I own whatever I write/create.  Don't steal and don't sue.]

Dib had managed to drag his father back to the house with Zim's help.  A day or two had passed since Ian's declaration of war, and Dib started a count on the calendar in his old room.

GIR had wondered where his master was once he came out of his shaking fit and went looking.  He was worried when he picked up Zim's signal near the TV station where Dib's father's TV show was taped.  Being worried, he activated his rockets in his feet and smashed through the doorway.  He slowed enough when he saw his master as not to break his back on impact, but it was enough to push Zim against Dib.

The little robot was a little confused at the strange way his master was acting around and with Dib, but he just shrugged it off and kept thinking his vacant lots.  No, he was really thinking of vacant lots.

In any case, Dib was trying to think of a way to pull his father out of his moping pit.  Membrane had always been the most intelligent person on Earth, and being proven wrong was something that never happened to him.  Ian knew that, and she had broken him somehow by saying his son was right.

"How does one make a human confident?" Zim questioned.

"I really don't know." Dib shook his head, "I was used to having all mine taken away."  There was a long pause as the two thought.  Dib paced in front of his father, who sat in a chair at the kitchen table.  Zim was sitting across from the human, and sighed, staring up and thinking.

"I've got it!" he leapt to his feet and ran to stand before Membrane, "You're a pathetic fool!  You can't solve a simple calculus problem!"  Dib's jaw dropped, but Zim lifted a finger to keep him quiet.  "You don't even know how an internal combustion engine works!"

"…yes I do." Membrane said something for the first time in two days.

"You don't know how to make a simple rocket."

"Yes I do."

"You can't make one that has weaponry."

"Yes I can."

"You can't make one that could take on a huge army."

"Yes I can."

"You can't help us beat an unstoppable force."

"Yes I can!  And I'll do it in time!"

"You said he doesn't like being told he can't do something." Zim shrugged at Dib.  Membrane was on his feet now, and he was muttering plans under his breath.

"I think we're in business." Dib smiled.

----------

Gaz found that she was quite content and happy to lie in Ian's lap.  It was comforting and comfortable.

"Why is it that you decided to like me?" she found herself wondering to Ian.

"Like and love are the two things that no one can decide on." Ian replied, "And when you figure out when you love someone, you can't change it.  Humans on your planet may seem to fall in and out of love easily, but when they find the right person, they stay in love.  For me, it was a matter of love at first sight."

"But why would you put everything on just something you feel in your gut?" Gaz shook her head in confusion, "That's just…I don't know.  I don't want to bet everything on just a feeling."

"You don't have to." Ian smiled benignly, "It's just how I live.  Don't worry about it."

"But I still don't understand." Gaz was confused, "How do you live like that?  I can't act like that."

"I know." Ian ruffled Gaz's dark hair with another smile, "But that's because you've been living with humans.  They have an interesting way of exploiting each other for profit.  I'm not going to make you see it my way."

Gaz looked up under Ian's hand to her smiling face.  She still couldn't understand Ian completely, but the little thing in her head told her she was really happy, and she was going to stay with Ian if it meant being so happy.

"Ian, I get to stay with you, right?" she felt as though she didn't need any kind of façade with Ian, "No tricks or anything."

"I don't use tricks." Ian closed her eyes with yet another gentle smile, "You get to stay with me.  No worries."

"But what about your war?  You're starting it in only twenty-eight days."

"Wars don't make love go away.  It's all right."

----------

"Come on people!  We have a planet to protect here!  We have to use all the time we've got!"

The workers gave a random wave to the men on the catwalk as they watched over the production.

"It looks like the first few dozen ships are done." Professor Membrane said with pride.  Dib was smiling widely, and Zim's jaw was dropped.

"How can you humans make so many ships in such short time?" the green-skinned boy gaped.  Because the world knew of aliens and such, he found no need to have his costume on.  His red eyes blinked at the sight of all the blue ships.

"It's my dad." Dib shrugged, "He's built more in less time.  I expect that we'll have a few hundred more by the end of tomorrow."

"Well, I'm impressed." Zim shook his head with a smirk, "But I still think we need to come up with something to fight Ian one-on-one."

"That'll be my job." Dib said swiftly, "Ian's mine."

----------

"Tell me something." Ian said as she led Gaz through the ship they were in, "Do you miss your brother and father?"

"I only miss my dad." Gaz replied, "Dib is trying to kill you."

"So should I kill Dib and leave your father alive?"

"Can you try to not kill either?" the human found herself saying, "I don't like Dib at all, but I don't want him dead.  He's my brother, I guess."

"All right." Ian chuckled, "No worries."

"Do you know what they're doing right now?" Gaz asked after a moment.

"They're building ships.  They're getting ready as fast as they can.  From what I can tell, they're going to be ready in time."

"So what are you going to do?"

The two reached an empty room where all the walls were transparent.  They appeared to stand on nothing.  Ian put her hands in her pockets, staring out at the dim black that was space.  She smiled slightly, her eyes half-lidded.

"Well, I hope to not kill as many as I think may die.  I'll protect you, and I'll do everything I can to make sure your father and brother won't be hurt.  Dib, I'll try not to kill."

"I don't know how you can be so calm at a time like this." Gaz sighed, "Even I'm getting worried.  And that doesn't usually happen."

"I know." Ian put her forehead to Gaz's and smiled more, "I know."

_—to be continued—_


End file.
